The second round of the BOV Premier League kicks-off on Saturday with two matches at the Centenary Stadium and another two at the Hibernians Stadium.
Valletta will be hoping to extend their positive run as they take on Santa Lucia, Sirens hope to bounce back with a win over Senglea Athletic, Balzan target precious points from the clash with Sliema Wanderers while Mosta chase a second consecutive win as they face Tarxien Rainbows.
Santa Lucia vs Valletta, kick-off 14:00 Centenary Stadium
Following a shock 2-3 defeat in the first round, Valletta will be all out to claim the three points from the clash with Santa Lucia. The Citizens are unbeaten in seven matches with five wins and two draws and are currently joint-second with Gzira, six points behind leaders Floriana. Santa Lucia, on the other hand, are second from bottom on ten points after losing six out of the last seven matches.
New signings Triston Caruana and Miguel Angel Alba are expected to make their debut for the Citizens.
Mosta vs Tarxien Rainbows, kick-off 16:15 Centenary Stadium
Mosta returned to winning ways on Wednesday after losing their previous four matches and another win on Saturday would enable them to move to a more comfortable mid-table position as they currently share the eighth place with Birkirkara. Bottom-placed Tarxien, on the other hand, are still chasing their first win although they earned their first point in their last outing thanks to a draw with Senglea.
Mosta are expected to have goalkeeper Nicky Vella making his debut and possibly Santiago Martinez. Matthew Towns should make his first appearance for the Rainbows. Destin Mambouana is ruled out for Tarxien as he serves a one-match ban.
Senglea Athletic vs Sirens, kick-off 14:00 Hibernians Stadium
Sirens, who share fourth place with Hibernians, are eager to bounce back with a win over Senglea after losing 0-2 to Birkirkara in their last outing. Senglea, on the other hand, lost four out of the last six matches, only earning two points in draws. Leading Senglea for the first time will be new Italian coach Giorgio Roselli who took over from Mario Muscat over the past days.
Edward Herrera should be making his debut for Sirens after joining the club on loan from Floriana. For Senglea, Gonzalo Nicolas Virano is ruled out through suspension.
Sliema Wanderers vs Balzan, kick-off 16:00 Hibernians Stadium
Sliema and Balzan both aim to start 2020 on a positive note after a rather disappointing first round. Balzan are currently sixth on 18 points while Sliema are tenth on fourteen. After beating Hamrun, Santa Lucia and Birkirkara, the Wanderers lost to Floriana in their last outing. Balzan, on the other hand, won just two out of the last six matches, defeating Santa Lucia 3-0 in their last outing.
The Wanderers should have new signings Arthur Henrique Oyama and Federico Vasilchik making their debut. Balzan could not count on the suspended Aleksandar Kosoric.